Stitch-In-The-Ditch

 In my reports of fake Chanel bags, it’s very common to see a section that says “inferior stitching techniques.” And that statement means one million things! Chanel uses special techniques for each bag and, to be even more specific, for each section of the bag. The quilting, the edges, the chain leather, the interior, around the flap, etc., each section is done differently and on each bag.

For this particular flap, the large square mid-rise flap crossbody bag, the first giveaway is the edge trimmings around the moving flap section. For this style, whether it’s caviar, patent calfskin, or lambskin, the edge trimmings must be distinct and show a clear line between the quilts and the edge. And that’s because of a technique called Stitch-in-the-Ditch.

This technique involves stitching directly into the seams between the quilted sections and the trim. By stitching in these “ditches,” the thread is less visible, and it can pull the quilted sections slightly inward at the seams, enhancing the puffiness of the quilts away from the edges. This is why we see the quilts puffed out more far from the edges. And that’s because the stitching is done on the empty space “ditches” between the padding and the edge. On the replica, the stitching is done on top of the quilting area and done loosely; that’s why you see a uniform puffiness of the quilts near or far from the edges. The second giveaway is that this bag is also exclusively made in France.